Method and apparatus for removing oil from a body of water

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for capturing and removing oil from a body of water with equipment using rod and film technology, which includes a streamlined oil tank that moves in the water and collects surface oil from an attached skimmer, arrays of inverted funnels lowered into the water to concentrate oil for removal, and containment tents to capture leaking fuel or cargo oil from a sunken ship or any underwater oil leak and channel it into a partially submerged rod and film storage tank at the surface.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to systems, apparatus, and methods tocontain and remove oil from a body of water. It can also apply to anyimmiscible liquids in which the lighter liquid is extracted from theheavier.

2. Description of Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,136 to Ayers et al. discloses a method and apparatusfor removing small volumes of oil from the surface of a body of water.The device in Ayers skims the surface as it is moved through the waterby boat.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,850 to Cessou et al. discloses an inverted conicalfunnel for trapping oil as it comes out of a broken well. The device inCessou is designed to cap the well and remove the oil at the source ofthe spill.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,577 to Broje et al. discloses an apparatus forrecovering surface oil from a spill by using a skimmer with a groovedspinning drum. The grooves improve the adherence of oil to the drumwhile spinning off the water.

Causes of Failure

Rapid response to properly clean up an oil spill is critical. The fastspread of oil on water makes containing it harder by the minute. Theoil's increased surface area also speeds its evaporation, leaving theremaining oil more viscous, sticky, heavy and difficult to clean up. Ifnot removed before reaching a “tar ball” stage, large scale cleanupbecomes nearly impossible. As tar balls sink almost below the surface,evaporation no longer occurs on the surface of the ball, and they remainsuspended in the water column until they wash ashore.

One cause of delay is the lack of local cleanup equipment. Currentequipment is expensive, bulky, and too infrequently used for mostoutfitters and boat owners to invest in it. Strong ultra-light materialsnow allow the manufacture of portable and relatively inexpensiveequipment in kit form. Other causes of delay are how to recruit enoughlocal volunteer boats to effect the cleanup, who will pay them, and howwould they get the necessary booms to contain the spill.

While corralling an oil slick, it can become so thick that oil escapesunder the boom. Therefore if the speed of harvesting does not match orexceed the speed of concentration of the oil, the ability to recover theoil is lost and it pollutes the water and shore. There is need forequipment and techniques that permit recovery of oil from water at asufficiently high rate.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure proposes tools and procedures for boats, bothlarge and small, to adequately contain and harvest an oil slick, even aslarge as that caused by the Deepwater Horizon failure of 2010. However,a successful clean-up of that magnitude would likely require thecooperation of the government and of the oil industry. In one preferredscenario the oil industry's responsibilities would include the deliveryof enough oil booms for local volunteer boats to corral the spillwithout delay, the pumping of each boat's harvested oil into theindustry's tankers or barges, and above all paying each boat marketprices per barrel for its harvested oil. This would provide incentivefor the immediate recruitment of the thousands of boats needed to do thejob. The responsibilities of the Coast Guard and/or other governmentagencies would be to inspect and coordinate the volunteer boats, toinspect and coordinate the oil industry's jobs, and to try to collectre-imbursement from the spiller.

Note that the application of dispersants that sink the oil or disperseit into particles suspended in the water column is not compatible withthe mass harvesting methods described herein.

The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein are directed to oilrecapturing equipment based on tent technology, which includes strong,ultra-light films, such as Mylar, Cuben Fiber or Silnylon, stretchedover tent rods. These films must be oil resistant and should preferablyhave a surface or a coating that tends to shed oil. For stability, therods are joined by various types of connectors, and are often understress. The equipment can be packaged in kits and some may be assembledat sea.

One embodiment of such equipment is an ultra-light, streamlined,semi-submerged and partially self propelled oil tank that sucks upsurface oil while moving through a spill. To corral an oil spill, manyside-by-side towing boats, some perhaps 100 feet apart, push a conjoinedoil boom that forms trailing V-shapes between the boats. The tank,pulled by its two towing boats, intersects the boom at the vertex ofeach V. When towed empty to the site of an oil slick the tank offersvery little drag. Upon arrival it is allowed to fill with water andpartially submerge. Using power generated by the towing boats, oil andwater is drawn into the tank through an attached skimmer. The oil riseswithin the tank while the excess water sinks and is ejected by apropeller that also propels the tank and provides suction for theskimmer. The tank can hold thousands of barrels of oil but is limited bywhat its towing boats can power and tow.

In another embodiment, an ultra-light array of pyramid-shaped invertedtent funnels is held within a horizontal frame that may be considered a“dipping trap.” It may be used once an oil spill has been containedwithin oil booms. The dipping trap, which in one embodiment can besuspended between two boats, can cover thousands of square feet andremove the surface oil within that area. The dipping trap may beassembled at sea or on shore and towed to the oil spill on pontoons.Strength and weight are critical; a trap's size is limited by itsstructural rigidity and by what boats can lift. A boat on either end ofthe trap lowers it into the water. As the funnels sink any oil under theinverted funnels concentrates in the funnel peaks and necks, from wherethe oil can be pumped into a storage tank. The trap is then raised toallow more oil to pass under it, and then lowered to capture more oil.

In another embodiment, a “self-dipping trap” may be used. An unmannedcatamaran provides a support system that suspends a dipping trap betweenits hulls. The dipping trap is lowered and raised, and the captured oilpumped into a storage tank. Traps can be loosely connected to form a“trap-line”.

In another embodiment, two or more inverted funnels are integrated intothe framework of a dipping trap, as shown in FIGS. 7-9 and 12A. The oilis recovered from all funnels simultaneously—important because largedipping traps might contain 50 funnels covering 2000 square feet.Funnels are empty of equipment, which reduces weight and cost. Eachfunnel's neck is connected with a hose to an intake manifold of a vacuumdevice. A screen may be used to keep debris out of the funnels.

The funnels are vented only through their hoses, and are unvented whilesiphoning oil and then water into the vacuum device. The vacuum devicemust be located above the surface of the water but below the maximumsiphoning height, which is in the proximity of 25 feet. Once the oil israised to this initial level, a pump is used to transfer the oil to astorage facility.

This funnel embodiment is light, comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture and easy to transport in kit form for rapid response.

Central to this embodiment is that all the oil will reach the vacuumdevice before any of the water, even though the funnels have differentdepths, different hose lengths, different amounts of oil under eachfunnel and different rates of oil flow through each hose. This behaviordepends on the height of the hoses from the surface of the water and onthe proportions of oil and water in each hose at any moment. Deviationsfrom this behavior are negligible.

In this embodiment the oil recovery cycle may take a few minutes. Duringoperation a dipping trap is positioned above an oil slick and thefunnels are then submerged until their necks are well below the surface.An air vent on the vacuum device is left open to allow the trap to sink.When the funnels are completely submerged, the air and some or all ofthe oil will be forced into the hoses. Then all vents and drains areclosed. Then the vacuum device evacuates most of the air, which raisesthe oil out of the funnels and then raises water. When water reaches awater sensor, the vents and drains are opened to allow remaining oil toflow into an oil tank and the water to flow back to the body of water.With all vents open the trap is lifted above the water and the cycle isrepeated.

If the vents fail to open before raising the trap, the vessel's wincheswill try to lift a weight equivalent to the water in each funnel. Inthis embodiment, the controllers for the vents should prevent the winchfrom raising the dipping trap out of the water prematurely.

These dipping traps can also be used with a trap line if the dippingtraps are kept synchronized with each other.

In another embodiment, an ultra-light containment tent, a form ofinverted funnel, is used to recover oil leaking below the surface of abody of water, such as a sunken vessel leaking fuel or cargo oil, or aslowly leaking wellhead site. A tent is lowered over the oil source.Attached to the bottom of the tent is a weighted framework thatencompasses the oil source and keeps the tent's base open to the water.If convenient, the tent may be attached to the sunken ship itself. Aflotation ring holds the tent's peak up into an inverted funnel shapewhich channels the oil to an oil containment bag at the surface.

Strong, ultra-light materials now exist that allow the manufacture ofstrong and reliable, yet portable and relatively inexpensive componentsto support the corralling and recapture of oil in high volumes. Examplesof these materials include but are not limited to ultra-light supportstructures such as carbon fiber and aluminum, and films such as Mylar,Cuben fiber, or Silnylon that are assembled in a tent-like fashion.Examples of these components include but are not limited to invertedfunnels, tanks, and pontoons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a cutaway side view of a partially submerged motorized tankfor collecting oil.

FIGS. 1B and 1C are side views of the details of a nose cap and tailcap.

FIG. 2 is a top view of two boats pushing booms and towing the tank ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a skimmer attached to the tank of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of the skimmer of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A is a side view of an inverted pyramid funnel.

FIGS. 5B and 5C are isometric details of components in the invertedfunnel at the locations shown in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of an inverted funnel.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a first layer of a dipping trap (an array ofinverted pyramid funnels of the type shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 6).

FIG. 8 is a top view of the second layer of the same frame as shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view of the edges of two inverted funnels ofthe first and second layers showing the vertical drain between adjacentfunnels.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a self dipping trap.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a containment tent encompassing a sunken shipleading to a rod and film oil containment tank at the surface.

FIG. 12A is a side view of a dipping trap containing inverted funnelsand their hoses connecting to an oil recovery mechanism.

FIG. 12B is an expanded view of an oil recovery mechanism including avacuum device and a pump.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A is a side view of a partially submerged, streamlined tank 300that is both towed and self-propelled, receiving its power from itstowing boat(s). The propeller also provides suction to draw in water andoil (but not air) through the attached skimmer 400. In one embodiment,tank 300 is an ultra-light tank made from rod and film technology. Inanother embodiment it is a light tank made of a rigid material such ascarbon fiber or aluminum. The streamlined tank 3 may be towed emptyacross the surface of the water to the oil spill site with very littledrag.

In one or more embodiments, a tank 300 is made up of one or morecomponents including a nose cup 2, a body 3, a tail cup 6, a fin 8, anda keel 10.

In one or more embodiments the body 3 is a film body 12 withlongitudinal internal sleeves containing tent rods 14. The ends of thetent rods are inserted in the sleeves and held under tension by beingaffixed into fittings in the nose cup 2 and tail cup 6. Fin 8 initiallyacts as an upper stabilizer, and contains flotation compartments 16 tokeep the tank from sinking beyond fin 8 and to help keep it upright. Insome embodiments, the uppermost pipe 20 opens into inverted funnel 18 toremove oil and to act as a vent when the tank is being filled with waterprior to operation. In one or more embodiments a weighted keel 10 isattached to assist in controlling the center of buoyancy and keeping thetank upright and stable. In some embodiments horizontal stabilizer 31 isused to help keep the proper attitude of the tank in the water.

In one or more embodiments, the nose cup 2, described more in FIG. 1B,is made of corrosion-resistant material and contains a separate ringthat fits inside the nose cup rim and attaches to it with screws (notshown). In one embodiment, the ring and the cup tightly sandwich thefilm 12 and hold it in place. The ring also retains the ends of theflexible tent rods 14 that give the tank body 3 its shape. Someembodiments include a towing ring 22, and a vertical tube 24 that actsas a bushing that allows rod 98 to keep the skimmer 400 at the rightdepth as it moves up and down with the waves. In some embodiments anintake pipe 26 is part of the nose cup assembly that draws in surfaceliquid from a skimmer 400 at the surface via a flexible tube 28.

The material 12 that is used to provide the body for the tank can bestrong, ultra-light, waterproof, oil resistant, and preferably oilrepellent. This might be considered similar to tent material of aself-supporting dome tent and the rods 14 would be the type of rods usedfor such a tent, for example, aluminum. Since the tank has liquid bothinside and out, forces on it are reasonably balanced.

The tail cup 6, described in more detail in FIG. 1C, is made ofcorrosion-resistant material and contains a separate ring that fitsinside the tail cup rim and attaches to it with screws (not shown). Inone embodiment, the ring and the cup tightly sandwich the film 12 andhold it in place. The ring also retains the ends of the flexible tentrods 14 that give the tank body 3 its shape. In one or more embodimentsthe tail cup 6 contains a remotely controlled motor (not shown) to movethe rudder 30 to keep the tank from drifting. One or more embodiments ofthe tail cup 6 includes lower tail cup section 32 that is open to themain body 3. It houses a propeller 40 attached to a motor 41, an oillevel sensor (not shown) including an on/off switch for the motor, awatertight hatch 36 that can be opened and closed to let water in or outof the tank body 3, a debris screen 38, a lower rear tube 34, and acontrol box (not shown) that controls the operation of the components.In some embodiments, lower rear tube 34 will contain the propeller. Oneembodiment an oil level sensor (not shown) includes a bob that floats onwater but sinks in oil, and which is attached to a hydraulic damper andan off switch for the motor so that any oil sensed in this section willshut off motor 41 and signal that the tank needs to be emptied. In someembodiments, the hatch 36 may be manually opened and closed from thesurface by a bicycle brake cable.

In one embodiment, an empty tank is transported to the location of anoil spill, whereupon the tank body 3 is allowed to fill with water byuncapping pipe 20 to allow air to vent out and by opening hatch 36allowing water to enter lower rear tube 34. Pipe 20 is closed when thetank is filled to the brim, and only reopened to pump out the oil. Ascreen 38 in the tube 34 keeps debris from being sucked into the tankwhile it is filling. Any debris on the screen is flushed off later bythe force of the ejected water.

In one embodiment, during operation, oil 11 and water 9 enter the tankthrough skimmer 400 and into tank body 3. Within the body 3, the oilfloats to the top, and the water sinks to the bottom and is ejectedthrough lower rear tube 34. An oil sensor (not shown) in lower tail cupsection 32 shuts off motor 41 and alerts the towing boat that the tankis full. In one embodiment, during operation the lower rear tube 34houses a propeller 40 that ejects excess water from the tank body 3,which creates suction that helps draw water and oil into the skimmer400. The operation of propeller 40 is also intended to reduce the dragon the boats towing the tank, but not so much that the tank's speed isfaster than that of the towing boats. When the tank is ready to beemptied, oil is pumped out through pipe 20.

FIG. 1B shows an enlarged view of the nose cup 2 at the location takenfrom FIG. 1A. As can be seen, the nose cup 2 is a solid piece made of anacceptable material such as strong lightweight aluminum, which can holda rigid shape. The purpose of the nose cup 2 is to provide a solidfitting and receptacle for the intake pipe 26 which couples to theskimmer 400, a rigid coupling for the support 22 which acts as a towring for the boat pulling it and also to support the skimmer 400, and asa retaining member for the individual rods 14. The ends of the film 12are rigidly coupled to the nose cup 2 by any acceptable technique. Whenthe tent rods 14 are placed into the sleeves of the material 12 andplaced into the retaining members of the nose cup 2 and the tail cup 6,they will flex outward with rigid tension and give shape to the tankbody 3, just as tent rods do when a tent is pitched in a dome tent.

The tail cup 6 is also made of a rigid material, such as aluminum, whichcan hold a rigid shape, in a curved dome as shown in FIG. 1C. The tailcup 6 supports a lower tail section 32 which contains a control box (notshown), an oil level sensor (not shown), and a motor 41 with a propeller40. A horizontal stabilizer 31 may be coupled to the tail cup 6, as wellas a rudder 30 in some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of a tank being towed by two boats.Tow line 56 from the first boat 52 and tow line 58 from the second boat54 are attached to the tank. The tow lines are attached to towing ring22. In one embodiment, towing boat 52 generates power and sends it viapower cable 64 to power the tank and the skimmer. Floating oil booms 60and 62 are used to corral and direct oil toward the tank. Boom 62extends from the skimmer (not shown) on the port side of boat 52 aroundboat 52's bow and ends seamlessly at the skimmer 400 on the starboardside of boat 52. The same configuration applies to boat 54. Thus theline of boats and booms that corral and contain the oil is unbroken fromthe first boat to the last. Pushing the booms rather than towing themprovides an easy way for boats to enter and leave the line withoutcompromising the containment.

Note: Each towing boat needs a “pusher” attachment on its bow to keepthe oil boom ahead of the bow and not under it. While such an attachmentis necessary, it is not part of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a top-view diagram of an embodiment of an oil skimmer 400 thatcan be attached to a tank. In one embodiment, the skimmer conjoins twooil booms by clamping each boom to tabs 72 and 74 respectively, whichare attached to the skimmer body 68 with vertical hinges. In oneembodiment, a third float 70, along with the flotation provided by thetwo attached oil booms, forms a tripodal flotation configuration thatmaintains the average water level of the skimmer at the open slotbetween the spinning drums 76 and 78. In one embodiment, fender 66 keepstop drum 76 from spinning oil over the containment, and panel 68 coversthe top of the skimmer mechanism.

Note: Each skimmer needs a debris screen or a debris diverter ahead ofit to keep debris away from its mouth. While such a device is requiredit is not part of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a side view of an embodiment of an oil skimmer400 attached to the tank. The skimmer 400 skims the surface, allowingoil and water but not air to enter the tank body 3. In some embodiments,the skimmer coordinates the speeds of the spinning drums 76 and 78 andthe suction-producing variable speed propeller 40 in the lower tail cup32 of the tank through information provided by liquid level sensorwithin controller box 82. Except for the intake slot 84 between spinningdrums 76 and 78, the body of the skimmer is hermetically sealed, muchlike a vacuum cleaner. In one embodiment, power for the skimmer isdelivered by towing boat 52 through power cable 64.

In one embodiment, the speed of the skimmer 400 and the tank iscontrolled by an operator of the towing boat 52 and is dependent on theaverage thickness of the oil slick. Water and oil enter the skimmeropening 84, at average level 13 and encounter two spinning drums 76, 78.In one embodiment, these spinning drums have identical raised spur gearsat each end; thus both drums rotate at the same speed and only one motoris required to rotate the drums. It is preferred that the distancebetween the drums should be somewhat greater than the depth of the oilslick. In another embodiment, labyrinth seals on the drums 76, 78 nextto the spur gears and on the drum axles can prevent liquid fromencroaching inside the drum. It is preferred that the labyrinth seal'slubricant be heavier than seawater so the lubricant cannot be forced outby the centrifugal force of the water. Seal 86, which may be made offelt or other similar material, is located between lower fender 68 andthe lower spinning drum 78. Seal 86 reduces drag and turbulence thatcould cause oil to be thrown back outside of the skimmer. In otherembodiments, scrapers 88 and 89 are located on the inward side of eachspinning drum 76, 78 and run the length of the drum. They are used toscrape off any oil adhering to the drums and direct it into the skimmer.The upper scraper 88 also keeps air from escaping through the openingbetween the upper drum 76 and the fender 66. Each scraper is slightlyflexed to stay in tight contact with its respective drum. Fender 66covers the whole length of the upper drum, and does not require a sealbetween the upper drum 76 and fender 66.

In one embodiment, a float 80 floats on the surface of the liquid insidethe skimmer 15 and is mechanically attached to controller box 82. Thecontroller box 82 coordinates the speed of drums 76, 78 as well as thespeed of the suction-producing variable speed propeller 40 in the lowertube 34 so that the liquid level within the skimmer remains more or lessconstant. In one embodiment, the controller box 82 houses the pivot fora lever arm 81 attached to float 80.

Oil and water enter the tank body 3 through tube 87 that connects in oneembodiment to flexible tube 28. In one embodiment, a ball stop mechanismkeeps air from entering the tank. The ball stop mechanism is a cagedball 90 that floats in liquid. If the liquid in the skimmer is drained,ball 90 reaches grommet 94 and is held in place by suction until enoughliquid fills the skimmer.

In one embodiment, a ball joint 96, such as one on a tripod, is attachedto a weighting mechanism to help keep the three floating points 70, 72,and 74 of the skimmer on the surface of the water. In anotherembodiment, rod 98, weighted by weight 100, goes through tube 24 to keepthe skimmer near the tank and at approximately the best depth to allowsurface liquid into the skimmer.

The operation of the combination of the tank 300 and skimmer 400 is asfollows. Tank 300 moves through the water by being towed by boats 52 and54 assisted by the tank's own motorized propeller 40 that receives powergenerated by one or both of the towing boats. Without propeller 40 thetowed booms 60 and 62 would simply push the oil forward, and little orno oil could enter tank 300. Propeller 40 serves a triple function: itallows small boats with a generator to pull a larger tank than itotherwise could, it draws surface liquid into the tank, and it expelswater from the tank. The two methods of propulsion also permit the speedof propeller 40 to vary somewhat without changing the speed of thetowing vessels. This is convenient for several reasons. It allows theliquid level in skimmer 400 to be automatically controlled, since theamount of liquid entering the tank via the skimmer must equal the liquidexiting the tank, and the amount entering the skimmer can be controlledwith drums 76 and 78. The propeller speed can be lessened to keep thebooms from becoming slack. Skimmer 400 will ride the waves at aparticular depth that admits only the topmost surface liquid, with apreference for oil. With the propeller turned on and the drums 76 and 78spinning inward into the skimmer 400, oil and water will be sucked intotank 3 via pipe 26 quite efficiently, but some oil will still be pushedforward by the booms. Within tank 300 the oil, being considerablylighter than water, floats upward before it can be expelled, while newand displaced water stays below and is drawn toward the lower stern 32of the tank. The propeller ejects water out through tube 34 to help movethe tank forward. Any oil sensed in the lower section by a sensorindicates that the tank is sufficiently full of oil. If the tank issufficiently full of oil, a switch shuts off the motorized propeller 40and drums 76 and 78 and signals that the tank needs to be emptied.

FIG. 5A is a side view of an embodiment of an inverted pyramid funnel500. One or more embodiments of a framed array of these inverted pyramidfunnels can be referred to as a “dipping trap” and is further describedbelow.

In one embodiment, an inverted pyramid funnel is constructed by a film102 stretched over tent rods 104. The tent rods 104, which may be madeof materials including but not limited to aluminum and carbon fiber, fitinto sleeves on the bottom and upper edges of the funnels. Upper rodsare attached to fittings where an external and internal gusset 112sandwiches the film at its peak and provides fittings for the top cap108. The top cap 108 contains a check valve assembly (FIG. 5B), an oildrain 128 and vent tube 114. The bottom rods are attached at the cornersto the upper rods with connectors to form the open base of the funneland are also attached to the corners of the neighboring funnels or tothe frame 156 as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. In a preferred embodiment,all surfaces should resist corrosion and tend to shed oil. A removabledebris screen may be attached to the inverted funnel either at its baseor elsewhere within it. Material, weight, wind and water resistance arereduced by giving the inverted funnel sides sharp angles with thehorizontal.

In one embodiment, bottom tent rods 104 also serve as trusses that addto the frame's rigidity. In one embodiment, for large traps, three-sidedpyramid funnels may be used because they impart more strength to thetrap than four-sided pyramid funnels.

The inverted funnel has an external and internal gusset 112 thatsandwiches the film 102 at the inverted funnel peak and providesfittings for the top cap 108 and vent tube 114. In some embodiments, thevent tube includes a coil spring 116 which may be covered with awaterproof and oil-proof material to give the vent tube enoughflexibility to keep waves from snapping the vent tube 114 or otherwisedamaging the funnel.

As an inverted funnel is submerged, any floating oil beneath theinverted funnel will concentrate at its peak. In one embodiment, the oilenters the top cap 108 from where the oil drains into a down-hose 118and then into a larger feeder-hose 126 leading to an oil holdingfacility. A check valve in the top cap helps to keep water out of theoil hoses. Feeder-hose 126 has a unidirectional flow and may beconnected to one or more inverted funnels in a serial fashion. In someembodiments, an in-line pump 142 in the feeder-hose is used to pump theoil into an oil holding tank.

FIG. 5B describes an embodiment of a check valve assembly within the topcap 108. When the inverted funnel 500 is lowered into the water, oilcollects in chamber 127 and drains into the down-tube 130. The base ofchamber 127 has an intake aperture 124 and a drain 128. The oil intakeaperture 124 has an o-ring grommet 125 to make a watertight seal asstopper 120 is pressed against it. The oil is pushed into chamber 127,where the oil then drains through drain 128 into down-tube 130. Drain128 curves downward around its rim. Down-tube 130 fits into thedown-hose 132. The open bottom 134 of the top cap attaches to theexternal and internal gusset 112 at the peak of the inverted funnel.

A removable cage 122 keeps stopper 120 aligned with aperture 124. In oneembodiment, cage 122 may be removed to adjust the specific gravity ofstopper 120, or to clean the mechanism. In another embodiment, stopper120 is a cylinder of highly polished metal or other material that tendsto shed oil. In a preferred embodiment, stopper 120 has an adjustablespecific gravity and floats on water but sinks in oil. In a preferredembodiment, the specific gravity of stopper 120 is set to the specificgravity of the body of water being cleaned, resulting in little to nooil loss and little to no water entering the hoses. The stopper 120rises with the water level in the top cap, and when the water is aboutto enter the intake aperture 124, the stopper is pushed against grommet125 by hydraulic pressure and does not re-open until the chamber 127 israised above the external waterline. In one embodiment, the top cap 108and vent tube 114 can be removed to allow the funnels to be stacked onland or on deck awaiting on-site assembly.

A check valve 136 may be located in down-hose 118 before reachingfeeder-hose 126. An embodiment of check valve 136 is further describedin FIG. 5C, where there is a reservoir containing a ball stop 138 withina cage 140 over exit pipe 141 that keeps air from being sucked into thefeeder hose when the down-hose is empty. When all the oil has beenremoved, ball stop 138 is sucked against the grommet o-ring 139 making ahermetic seal and preventing air from entering the feeder hose 126.Since the ball stop 138 must be substantially vertical to function, inone embodiment the reservoir is attached to the funnel to keep thereservoir properly oriented.

FIG. 6 describes another embodiment of an inverted funnel 550 that isexternally identical to the inverted funnel 500 of FIG. 5A except thatthe tall vent tube 114 is replaced by a hose 146 leading to a watersensing device 144 and then into an oil storage container. Theconstruction of the tent is the same, as are the materials, but thereare no internal hoses, and the insides of gusset 150 differs frominsides of gusset 112 of FIG. 5A. It is raised and lowered in the sameway as funnel 500 but with a faster cycle time. In one embodiment,gusset 150 provides fittings for the top cap 148. Internally gusset 150houses a pump that is powered remotely. In some embodiments a pleatedoil screen is attached to the gusset 150 to keep out debris. The surfacearea of the screen should be large enough not to clog for the durationof the clean-up. The top cap 148 is the neck of the inverted funnel intowhich the oil is concentrated. In one embodiment, if the pump uses apropeller, the propeller and its shaft extend into the top cap 148,which is otherwise empty of hardware.

Oil is pumped through hose 146 into holding tank 154 until device 144senses water, which indicates that all oil has been pumped out, andshuts off the pump in its respective inverted funnel. At that point, inone embodiment, a vent opens within water sensing device 144 to allowthe water to fall back down hose 146 and into the inverted funnel. Anyremaining oil falls into the holding tank 154. In a preferredembodiment, the in-line water sensor is higher than top cap 148 andholding tank 154. In another embodiment, when water reaches watersensing device 144 it shuts off the pump in its respective invertedfunnel and pumps the water back down the hoses, and pumps the oil intothe holding tank. This embodiment would be preferable for very largetraps where gravity feed would be too slow.

FIGS. 7-9 describe multiple views of an array of such funnels to form adipping trap. There are a number of inverted funnels 160 that areconnected together in order to capture oil at or near the surface of abody of water. In one embodiment, a dipping trap is suspended betweentwo ships and lowered into the water. Each individual inverted funneltraps oil that is then removed from the necks before the dipping trap israised and more oil fills in beneath the trap. The cycle is thenrepeated.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 represent top-down views of two different layers of adipping trap embodiment with 36 inverted funnels consisting of twodifferent layers with 18 inverted funnels each. FIG. 7 shows anupper-tier framework of 18 funnels and 18 empty spaces that representone layer of a dipping trap. FIG. 8 describes a lower-tier,complementary framework of 18 funnels and 18 empty spaces, oppositelylaid out from FIG. 7. The triangular funnels in the lower tier fit intothe empty triangular spaces in the upper tier, and the upper tierfunnels are directly above the empty spaces in the lower tier. FIG. 9shows a partial side view profile of adjacent funnels 160 and 166 fromtwo tiers where there is a vertical gap between the upper-tier andlower-tier framework of adjacent funnels that acts as a drain when thedipping trap is raised out of the water.

FIG. 7 describes one embodiment of an upper-tier array of invertedfunnels. The bottom rods of the tent funnels 110 connect to frame 156and act as trusses to strengthen the framework. Triangular trusses givegreater strength than rectangular trusses. In a preferred embodiment,inverted funnels with equilateral triangle bases are used. Thesetriangles have the shortest perimeter for their given area, whichprovides a lighter, stronger array of inverted funnels. Short tubes 158extend outward from the frame 156 to hold poles that keep the oil boomaway from the trap, and also serve as attachment points for hoisting,for raising and lowering the dipping trap. Bumpers on the frame cornerscushion minor bumps against the boats. Floats along the frame keep asubmerged trap at the correct depth.

FIG. 8 describes a matching embodiment of a lower-tier array of invertedfunnels. The bottom rods of the tent funnels 111 connect to frame 156and act as trusses to strengthen the framework. Triangular trusses givegreater strength than rectangular trusses. Meeting the frame 156 at twodifferent levels (110 and 111) makes the frame more rigid and lesssusceptible to sagging. When the upper-tier 600 and lower-tier 650layers are put together, the top of the inverted funnels will mesh tocreate a complete dipping trap. For example, inverted funnel 160 willfit into the empty space 164, and inverted funnel 162 will fit into theempty space 166. The triangular checkerboard array of 3-sided tentfunnels is rigidly attached to the frame with bottom rods extending fromthe base of each tent.

FIG. 9 demonstrates the vertical gap 168 between funnels (supportingstructure is omitted in this view). The gap 168 makes the trap easier tolift out of the water due to the water and newly encroaching oil abovethe funnel having to drain only at the edges of frame 156. Any oil lostthrough these drains may be recaptured in a later dipping cycle. In oneembodiment the vertical distance between these two levels are 1″ to 1½.″This gives the trap added resistance to sagging without adding weight,and leaves vertical drains between inverted funnels, making the trapquicker and easier to lift out of the water.

FIG. 10 describes a top view of an embodiment of a self-dipping trapthat is made up of four square-shaped inverted funnels. In oneembodiment, the self-dipping trap is self-contained. It has its owncarrier for floating on the surface of the water, and also contains itsown hoisting mechanism to repeatedly raise and lower the inverted funnelarray. In one embodiment, a self-dipping trap is a remotely powered,unmanned catamaran. A self-dipping trap may be deployed in an area inwhich the oil is contained by booms or natural barriers.

A self-dipping trap is deployed in open water 170. In one or moreembodiments the trap may be suspended on crossbars 174 that are attachedto inflatable film pontoons 172. A stern area 176 houses a reversiblewinch 178 that raises and lowers the frame 180. Lines 182 raise andlower the trap, and run from the winch 178 through pulleys to verticalposts 184. In some embodiments, vertical posts 184 have pulleys on topto give a 2:1 mechanical advantage when raising and lowering the frame180. In one embodiment, the lines are attached at the four corners 186of the frame 180. In one embodiment, the frame 180 is rigidly attachedto the bottom rods of the funnels. In another embodiment, the invertedfunnels are positioned in an upper-tier 188 and 194, and a lower-tier190 and 192 configuration that are secured to frame 180 with thevertical distance between the two tiers providing a drain between theinverted funnels 168, making it easier to raise the array of invertedfunnels out of the water.

FIG. 11 is description of an embodiment of a containment tent invertedfunnel showing a non-limiting example involving leaking fuel or cargooil from a sunken ship. This type of structure may also be used on anysource of relatively slowly leaking oil at or near the bottom of a bodyof water. As leaking oil drifts upward through the water, the oil iscaptured in a containment tent and then funneled into a hose leading toan oil bag at the surface of the water. Because tides and waves changethe distance from the oil leak to the surface, the oil bag must be freeto move vertically independently of the hose yet be tall enough to keepthe surface end of the hose within it.

In one embodiment, a containment tent 196, which may be made oflightweight, strong film such as but not limited to Mylar, Cuben fiber,or Silnylon, is placed over a submerged ship 198 that is leaking oil200. In one embodiment, tent 196 is attached to a framework 202 thatrests on the bottom. In another embodiment, framework 202 is constructedout of material such as but not limited to heavy steel rods that may bequickly pieced together once the area to be covered has been measured,and is used to secure the bottom of tent 196. The framework 202 allowswater to flow in beneath the tent. If convenient, the tent may beattached to the sunken ship itself, which would require a diver or arobot for both installation and removal. In one embodiment the frameworkhas attachments for anchors 204 and for one or more lines 208 that lowerand raise the containment tent. Lines 208 connect to buoys at thesurface, and should be long enough to accommodate the highest waves andtides. Flotation 210 at the top of the containment tent causes the tentto form and maintain the shape of an inverted funnel.

In one embodiment, hose 212 extends from containment tent 196 to a float216 within the floating oil bag 214 that has sufficient buoyancy to keepthe hose 212 approximately vertical. If the source of the oil is deep,the oil may have considerable pressure when released into bag 214.Therefore the nozzle 221 above the float 216 should diffuse the oilstream coming out of hose 212 to prevent damage to oil bag 214. Debrisis kept out of hose 212 by a cylindrical pleated screen surrounding it(not shown) where hose 212 joins the containment tent 196. The surfacearea of the screen should be such that it will not clog for the durationof the clean-up. A floating ring 218 with a cover 219 serves as the topof the oil bag 214 and keeps it afloat. A pump-out cap 217 is located onone edge of cover 219. Float 216 is located near the surface end and isattached to hose 212. Ring 220 is positioned below float 216 and keepshose 212 within bag 214. A plurality of support structures 222 fromfloating ring 218 to ring 220 keep the end of hose 212 approximatelycentered within bag 214. Sides 224 of oil bag 214 are attached tofloating ring 218 to form a tight seal in order to not let out oil heldwithin the open-ended oil bag 214. Sleeve 226 at the bottom of sides 224contains a weighted ring to keep the bag cylindrical and the bottom ofthe bag open to the water. As the oil bag 214 fills with oil, the oilbag rises while water is displaced beneath it. Since the oil bag can beeasily be made of any size, it probably should be made to hold all theoil that the ship could contain, as a precaution.

The containment tent 196 constructed as taught herein has a number ofunique advantages. Since the containment tent 196 is made of a flexiblematerial which is ultra-light weight and very strong, it can be made inany desired shape. For example, it can be made a shape to fully enclosea relatively larger vessel, such as a boat, an oil tank, an oil wellunder the water, or any other desired structure. The weights placed atthe bottom along with anchors 204 and the framework 202 can be designedto be any particular shape according to the vessel to be containedwithin the tent 196. The tent 196 will capture any oil 200 which floatsupward and, since the oil is lighter than water, it will gradually flowupward to the collection oil bag 214 where it can be removed and used.

FIG. 12A shows an embodiment of an array of funnels connected to an oilrecovery mechanism 1200. This array of funnels is connected to a dippingtrap frame 156 that is raised and lowered by a dipping trap apparatus(not shown). Funnels 160 in upper tier 110 and funnels 166 in lower tier111 create vertical drains 168 between the edges of adjacent funnels tofacilitate raising dipping trap 156 out of the water. As shown, funnels160, 166 attached to dipping trap frame 156 are submerged below thesurface of the water 1240. When the funnels 160, 166 are fully raised(not shown), they are completely above the surface of the water. In someembodiments, debris is kept out of the funnels by one or more screens(not shown), for example, on the underside of dipping trap frame 156.

A hose 1202 is connected to the neck of each funnel and is used toconvey air, oil and water from the submerged funnels 160, 166 to therecovery mechanism 1200.

FIG. 12B shows one embodiment of an oil recovery mechanism forextracting oil from submerged funnels 160, 166 with respect to theembodiment described in FIG. 12A using a vacuum device 1204.

The maximum height for a siphon depends on the liquid's specific gravity(SG), the atmospheric pressure, and how perfect the vacuum is. Thetheoretical maximum height is 33.9 feet for fresh water with an SG of 1,and 27 feet for salt water with an SG of 1.25. In reality, these numbersare likely too high mainly because vacuum devices are imperfect andatmospheric pressure is usually less than 14.7 psi even at sea level. Inthis embodiment the oil is raised further by using a pump 1210.

Hoses 1202 connect to a substantially horizontal manifold of intakepipes that lead into vacuum device 1204. Once the funnels 160, 166 aresubmerged with their necks below the surface of the water, the oilrecovery sequence can begin. The vacuum device vent 1206 and the vent1216 in the water sensor chamber 1214 are closed, as are vacuum seal1209 and water drain valve 1212 (which are opened only after waterreaches the water sensor chamber 1214). Vacuum device 1204 then createsa vacuum and air, water and oil are sucked up through hose 1202 into thevacuum device 1204. Once the liquid in vacuum device 1204 reaches acertain level, vacuum seal 1209 opens and pump 1210 turns on.

Pump 1210 pumps air, oil and then water from vacuum device 1204 intohose 1208 and up to water sensor chamber 1214 at the highest part of theflow, usually on the deck of a tanker. Recovered oil then passes throughfiller hose 1222 and can be directed to a location, such as to a ventedoil container 1250.

When water is detected in water sensor chamber 1214, controller 1218opens vacuum device vent 1206, water sensor vent 1216, and drain valve1212, and then shuts off pump 1210. This allows the remaining oil inhose 1222 to flow by gravity into oil container 1250. It also allows thewater in the water sensor chamber 1214 and hose 1208 to flow back todrain 1212 into body of water 1240, and the water in hoses 1202 to flowback under the funnels.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patentapplications and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of thevarious patents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. An inverted funnel apparatus for recovering oil from the surface ofwater comprising: an inverted funnel; a top cap detachably coupled atthe neck of the inverted funnel, the coupling forming a hermetic seal; ahose detachably coupled to the top cap, the detachable coupling formingan hermetic seal; and the hose detachably coupled at its opposite end toa vacuum device, the coupling forming an hermetic seal.
 2. The invertedfunnel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inverted funnel isconstructed of strong, lightweight film, and wherein the inverted funnelis supported by rods inserted into sleeves attached to the film.
 3. Theinverted funnel apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one or moreinverted funnels are nestably stackable after removal of the hose. 4.The inverted funnel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hosedetachably coupled to the top cap is attached at the top of the top cap.5. The inverted funnel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theinverted funnel contains a screen configured to keep debris fromentering the hose.
 6. The inverted funnel apparatus according to claim1, wherein the vacuum device, when the inverted funnel is submerged, isoperable to draw air and liquid from under the inverted funnel, up thehose and into the vacuum device.
 7. The inverted funnel apparatusaccording to claim 6, wherein the vacuum device is connected to aplurality of hoses.
 8. The inverted funnel apparatus according to claim6, wherein the vacuum device further comprises: a pump operable to pumpliquid from the vacuum device to a water sensor, the sensor operable toshut off the pump when water is detected in the water sensor.
 9. Avacuum apparatus for recovering oil from the surface of watercomprising: one or more hoses connected to a vacuum device, the hosesoperable to deliver water, oil or air into the vacuum device when thevacuum device is under a vacuum; a pump connected to the vacuum device;a water sensor chamber connected to the pump, the pump operable to pumpthe contents of the vacuum device into the water sensor chamber; a watersensor within the water sensor chamber operable to detect when waterenters the water sensor chamber; and an oil outflow hose connected tothe water sensor chamber.
 10. A vacuum apparatus according to claim 9,further comprising: a closeable vent on the vacuum device; and aclosable vent on the water sensor chamber.
 11. A vacuum apparatusaccording to claim 10, further comprising: a pipe connecting the pump tothe water sensor chamber; a drain valve positioned within the pipe, thedrain valve connected to a drain pipe operable to drain liquid out ofthe pipe and into the drain pipe when the valve is open and to not allowliquid into the drain pipe when the valve is closed.
 12. A vacuumapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the water sensor is furtheroperable, when the sensor detects water, to open the closeable vent onthe vacuum device, open the closeable vent on the water sensor chamber,and open the drain valve.
 13. A vacuum apparatus according to claim 9,wherein the oil outflow hose is connected to a vented oil container. 14.A vacuum apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the water sensorchamber is on the deck of an oil tanker.
 15. A method for removing oilfrom the surface of water comprising: lowering the dipping trapapparatus into the water so that surface oil enters the hoses connectedto top caps of inverted funnels of the dipping trap apparatus; siphoningoil from the hoses using a vacuum device; and raising the dipping trapapparatus above the surface of the water.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein siphoning oil from the hoses using a vacuum device furthercomprises: closing a vent on the vacuum device; closing a vent on awater sensor chamber device, the water sensor chamber device connectedto a pump by a hose, the hose having a drain valve positioned betweenthe water sensor chamber device and the pump, the pump being connectedto the vacuum device; closing the drain valve; creating a vacuum in thevacuum device; activating the pump, the pump pumping air and liquid fromthe vacuum device through the hose to the water sensor chamber device.17. The method of claim 16, wherein removing oil from the necks of thefunnels of the dipping trap apparatus further comprises: if the watersensor chamber device senses water, then deactivating the pump, openingthe vent on the vacuum device, opening the vent on the water sensorchamber device, and opening the drain valve.
 18. The method of claim 15,further comprising: repeating the previous steps.